Whimsy Be Thy Name!

PODCAST NEWS: ChristianHalloweenFan.com has an official podcast. Accept no substitutes! Not from JehovahsWitnessHalloweenFan.com, nor from KnowItAllAgnosticHalloweenFan.com. No, not even from UnitarianUniversalistHalloweenFan.com.

The name of our podcast is excuse me, ghidorah?. Which is about as confusing a podcast title as exists anywhere east of the Mississippi. Basically, the title is a tongue-in-cheek modern translation of a quote from Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: “The dragon sits by the side of the road watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.”

Flannery O’Connor was fond of this quote. She had this to say: “No matter what form the dragon may take, it is of this mysterious passage past him, or into his jaws, that stories of any depth will always be concerned to tell, and this being the case, it requires considerable courage at any time, in any country, not to turn away from the storyteller.”

When dragons are mentioned, I always think of King Ghidorah, Godzilla’s most powerful enemy. So, as I take care to avoid the fangs and theflame of mankind’s ancient enemy, “Excuse me, Ghidorah…” comes to mind.

excuse me, ghidorah? espouses my view that there is much in pop-culture which can help one sneak past the dragon, much that can keep wonder alive when cynicism threatens to devour it, much that can encourage faith when evil times come round. A bit of capital “G” Good peeks thru even in the kitschiest of kitsch from time to time and so we may actually find ourselves fending off the dragon with an old Aurora monster model of the Mummy or an old issue of Superman comics in which Jimmy Olsen is transformed into a Human Porcupine. Or, perhaps more often, a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

About this episode: After a long hiatus, part the third of our three part look at Kitsch has arrived. This time you will find yourself amazed at how drastic a change can occur in a person’s speaking voice if he begins recording a podcast in prime condition while travelling at 60 miles per hour in a car full of people, finds the computer has gone wacky thanks to a large bump in the road, ceases production so that Thanksgiving may be enjoyed at yon Momma’s house, contracts a sort of uber-flu during Thanksgiving, undergoes, therefore, a sort of binge and purge experience, and then attempts to pick up production where he left off.

Actually, I like the gravelly voice this produced. It lends a sonorous gravitas to the proceedings as I describe a visit to Dinosaur Land in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley. In this dinosaur dotted roadside attraction, expert attention to scientific detail has not precluded the inclusion of the Frankenstein Monster or King Kong or a gigantic landlocked purple Octopus — which means I felt right at home. I hope you will, too, and that you will segue without too much discomfort into my impassioned speechifying about the hidden power of Whimsy. Pope John Paul II said, “Beauty will save the world.” I think Whimsy will save the world — or Whimsy at least will serve as Beauty’s wisecracking sidekick.

excuse me, ghidorah? is available on iTunes or you can hit that RSS button over to the right there.

One Response to “Whimsy Be Thy Name!”

Sorry to hear about your flu Lint, good to have you back though! Since I should be visiting ChristianHalloweenFan.com does that mean I have to return the rotary fan on which L. Ron Hubbard’s image appears on the blades when turned on that I ordered from ScientologistHalloweenFan.com???? Have a great day!